Shared Apologies
by frustratedstudent
Summary: Another steamy night in the WAMP verse. In which Enjolras has to make amends with Eponine after a very public argument.


_A/N: So a reviewer wanted to see a heated argument followed by make-up sex in the WAMP verse. Warning for very intimate marital relations. _

**Shared Apologies**

The debacle ends just as several others have before, with hissed retorts and footsteps striding away angrily from the scene. '_Which would be much less of a problem if this wasn't happening in the Hotel de Ville,' _Enjolras thinks as he rubs his temples, all the while not averting his furious eyes from where Eponine enters a meeting room and shuts the door behind her a tad more sharply than she normally would have.

"She's a beautiful piece of trouble there," a deputy sniggers from nearby. "Do you have to sleep with one eye open at night?"

"Enough of that," Enjolras snaps, as he glares now at the heckler who then promptly retreats down the corridor. It is one thing when he and Eponine end up having a spat in public; it is somewhat unavoidable given their prominent situation. However it is another thing to defame her character or make her the butt of ridicule especially when she isn't around to say anything to it. '_That would be the height of disloyalty,' _he decides as he goes off to his own appointments upstairs.

Now that the initial haze of his anger is dissipating, it mortifies him how _trivial_ the cause of their argument really was. He's not sure why they usually do not have full-blown spats over their occupations or political endeavors, or even on the tricky matter of raising her three brothers. Maybe it's because they know how to talk these things out, perhaps with some heated debate along the way, but it's a proper discussion all the same. However that sort of thing is not always possible when the question is something along the lines of who misplaced an important letter that would have been dealt with earlier that day, if only it had been in their bags instead of stuck somewhere in their study all the way back at the Rue Guisarde. Whatever it is, it does not merit a vicious exchange of barbs and accusations, or even the hours of stony silence that will surely follow the battle.

He just has to give things enough time to cool off, but he's never been the most patient of men, and so every second in this stalemate seems interminable. Unfortunately his meetings drag on far longer than usual, and by the time he leaves the Hotel de Ville, it is already past eleven in the evening. A clerk hands him a note in Eponine's handwriting, to the effect that she has gone home ahead of him to see to things. It's practical of her, true, but also her way of avoiding him a little longer.

Not surprisingly he arrives to a quiet house, with only a flickering light in the front room to suggest that anyone is still awake. He lets himself in silently and glances to where Eponine has obviously fallen asleep on the settee in the next room; a book lying open on the floor shows what she's been up to for the past hour or so. Before going to her, Enjolras stops by the study to verify that _indeed_ that misplaced paper in question is in the room; in fact he figures that Eponine found it first and placed it atop a precarious pile of books and papers. He makes sure to leave his satchel in this room before crossing the hall back to the front room and the young woman who is still seemingly oblivious to his presence or to the soft patter of rain outside.

That is until she stirs and opens her eyes at the sound of his footsteps. She fishes in her pocket for her watch and groans at the time. "Past midnight already?" she murmurs.

"Yes, unfortunately," Enjolras says calmly as he stands by the settee. The glow from a candle burning low at a nearby table makes her complexion seem warmer and lends a particular richness to the dark auburn of her hair, but it also does nothing to conceal the slight shadows under her eyes or the sharpness of her cheekbones. She is beautiful and haggard, vivacious and careworn, a mass of contradictions that delight and infuriate him on a daily basis but are nonetheless dear to him. He takes a deep breath as he crouches so they are face to face as he touches her hand. "Eponine..."

Eponine heaves a long sigh and bites her lip. "I found the letter. It was under one of the desks."

Enjolras knows better than to ask whose desk it might have been, so he simply nods before rubbing his hand over the knotty scar on her palm. "About today..." he begins only to see her look down. He clasps her hand more tightly. "That was uncalled for, on both our parts."

She swallows hard and meets his gaze. "I know, Antoine. Come here," she whispers, pulling at his lapels to emphasize the point. She tugs him to her so that they are both lying on the settee, with him on top of her as she wraps her arms around his back to keep him there. "I waited for your meetings to end."

He feels a little stricken at this revelation; it's just the sort of thing she does without his asking her to. "They took longer than I expected. My apologies for that," he says as he kisses the top of her head. He feels her heartbeat speed up a little at the contact even as she shivers against the slight mid-November chill, so he holds her more tightly as he buries his face in her hair. Her tresses still smell of myrtle, her favourite fragrance which is as heady as pretty much everything else about her.

"You were busy, so why are you apologizing for that?" Eponine asks before shifting so she can make better eye contact with him. She runs her callused fingers over his face, making a line from his brow, down his cheek, and onto the angle of his jaw. "I never like fighting with you, and I s'pose you don't like fighting with me either. I just didn't want it to drag on for too long."

"Nor did I," he admits, and somehow this is enough to bring the smile back to her face. He first brushes his lips over the palm of her hand just to feel her breath catch; he loves getting her flustered this way. His eyes catch her dark gaze again and it is all the impetus he needs to give her a hard, eager kiss on her lips. There really are no words for all that needs to be dealt with in this situation and he's not about to ruin the moment by forcing the matter. All he knows is that he's wanted her all night as much as she wants him, and so he gets the point across by kissing her deeply, slowly enough to allow her to respond. Her right hand slowly slides upwards order to tangle in his hair even as her left hand tightens its grip on his back to encourage him to part her lips and take the opportunity to use his tongue and his lips to leave her breathless in her favourite way.

Her cheeks are flushed when she pulls away from his kiss just so she can press her forehead to his as she continues to play with his hair. "Upstairs?" she asks in a ragged voice.

"Gladly," Enjolras replies before catching her off-guard with another kiss as he helps her to her feet. There is just enough of the candle to give them some light as they hurry up to their room towards the rear of the house. He has to put his hands in his pockets to keep from touching her, at least till he has to open the bedroom door for her so she can step in first and light one of the candles they keep here. He swallows hard when he sees how the candlelight plays across her face now, drawing his eye to her swollen lips, the pretty blush that goes down even to her neck and shoulders, and of course that affectionate but devious light in her brown eyes. It's all he can do to keep from kissing her senseless, especially when she lets out a little gasp as he brushes a stray strand of her hair behind her ear. "Allow me?" he asks as he brings one hand to the back of her head.

She nods as she leans into his touch. "Go on."

He obliges by kissing her forehead first before working loose her hairpins till her hair finally cascades to below her shoulderblades. He takes care to press a lingering kiss at the curve where her neck meets her shoulder, nipping lightly till she hisses and a soft moan escapes her lips. "Did I hurt you?" he asks concernedly.

"No," she whispers breathily as she starts pulling his coat off his shoulders. He shrugs the garment off to let it fall to the floor before letting her untie his cravat. She kisses his jaw as her fingers deftly pull away the long strip of fabric. "I never said _my_ apology, Antoine."

"You?" he asks confusedly.

"I have to,' she insists as she begins to unbutton his waistcoat. In a few moments she already has the garment off him and on the floor, and she presses a kiss to his sternum. He can't help but groan appreciatively, prompting her to smile against his skin. "I was awful to you in front of so many people you work with, and I shouldn't have done that."

"I accept your apology. If you recall though I wasn't quite the gentleman either," Enjolras points out as he starts to unbutton her dress. His fingers brush over the swell of her breasts and she whimpers his name, arching into his palms. He finally eases the dress off her slender body, taking the time to run his hands over the slight curve of waist till his fingers are on her hips. The sight of Eponine in her stays is somewhat baffling to him even now since she is so lanky that she does not actually need anything to improve her figure, and she only wears stays to let the lines of her dresses fall appropriately. Nevertheless he laces her up in the mornings and more than happily undoes these same knots at night.

She grins at him as she feels the stays begin to loosen till they fall to the floor. She pulls him close to begin unbuttoning his trousers, now and then deliberately bringing her fingers to brush against his growing arousal. He can't help but swear as he pushes into her hand before she pulls down his trousers entirely, and she laughs once again at this before pressing herself up against him to whisper in his ear. "I don't want you to be a gentleman now."

"Because you deserve more than just gallantry from me," he tells her before gripping her chin firmly and kissing her again to make the point, drawing out this embrace till he feels her knees begin to give. He catches her with an arm around her waist before guiding them both to the bed. He lets her kick off her shoes before he pushes her onto the mattress, hearing her gasp with delight as she falls back and tries to bring him with her. He kisses her nose teasingly before pausing to remove his own footwear and then lying right beside her just as she's taking off her stockings. "Unfortunately I'm not exactly very good with making that known," he says frankly.

"You never say anything you don't mean though," Eponine says before giving him a light kiss on his lips and then pulling off his shirt, then taking the opportunity to straddle him so she can make a line of kisses down his chest.

The feel of her lips and her breath on his skin has him cursing again and he grips her hair lightly before he loses himself. "Damn it all, Eponine."

"Like that," she says smugly before moving up to brush her nose against his. "It's one of the best things about you."

Enjolras laughs before reaching up to kiss her neck and moving downwards to the hollow of her throat before rolling so that now she is under him. Their friends tease him to the high heavens about his being unromantic and knowing nothing of wooing women, but it doesn't matter if Eponine wants him to be straightforward with her. True to form he does not waste time in divesting her of all her undergarments till she is completely bare. He places his hands on her ankles and slowly slides them up her shins to rest on her knees, tracing circles there till he feels her body relax into the mattress. All the while he is placing light kisses just under her collarbones, then on to her breasts, lingering whenever she squirms or just whimpers his name. He looks into her eyes and sees her shiver even before he leaves a longer kiss over the scar on her left side. Of course she never asks him to but he would definitely spend the rest of his life and more atoning for having inadvertently endangered her at the barricade and several other junctures. It's all the more reason to do all he can to protect her whenever she feels she needs it.

She moans and tugs on his hair as he moves lower to her stomach and then on to her hips. "Oh please, Antoine..." she murmurs even as she parts her legs and yanks harder on his hair.

He hisses at this forceful but rather welcome touch before he traces circles along the insides of her thighs. She is already wet and ready for him so he loses no time in bringing his lips right to her center, using his tongue to tease her gently for a brief moment. She gasps and arches her back as she scrabbles at the bedsheets, his hair or anything she can reach, so he lets her hook her legs over his shoulders before he continues to caress her with his mouth and his hands. The taste of her is as intoxicating as the mere feel of her body writhing under his lips or even the pleasant sound of her voice mingling his name with pleas and the occasional profanity as she begs him to keep touching her. He holds her hip to brace her when he feels her tremble and flail when she finally gives in to pleasure, crying out before falling back on the bed. He makes sure to soothe her with kisses on her flushed, sweaty face as he waits for her to catch her breath. "How are you?" he asks in her ear.

Her eyes flutter open and she turns to kiss him. "I'm fine," she whispers as she clutches at his shoulders. She kisses him, first only for a second, and then with more and more passion till he too is flushed and nearly dizzy with want. "I love you so much."

It's these words more than anything else that heighten his desire, and he responds by kissing her lovingly while rubbing her back, her behind and anything his hands can reach. He would like nothing more than to take her there and then, but he needs to give her some time to recover from her peak. All the same he is surprised when she finally urgently pulls him to her, wriggling so that their hips are aligned. "Are you sure?" he asks.

"If you stop now you'll have another thing to apologize for," Eponine deadpans.

Enjolras smirks before kissing her and breaking away to give her room to lift her hips, bringing her legs to rest lightly on his arms for support. He steadies her by gripping her thighs firmly before kissing her more deeply as he brings himself to her entrance. He enters her gradually, almost tortuously slow, till she digs her fingers into his back to urge him on. In a few moments he is fully inside her warmth, and the feeling is so exquisite that he swears again before she catches his mouth again in a teasing but encouraging kiss. He moves slowly at first till he feels her back arch and hears her whisper pleadingly that she wants more of what he is doing to her, that she wants all of him. They move together in a slow but nonetheless intense rhythm, urged on by need as well as each other. Everything is heat, needy hands moving tenderly over skin, and kisses punctuating moans and gasps of passion. The rain is pouring hard now outside but all that Enjolras hears are Eponine's breathy cries and endearments in his ear as she slowly comes to the point of unravelling once again. He slams into her almost roughly, making her body clench around him so hard that it almost takes his breath away. In a few moments she is trembling and screaming with ecstasy, almost at the same instant he too is overcome by his own climax that has him groaning her name as he spends himself inside her.

He holds her close, unable to do much else for a long while even as he waits for both of them to calm down enough to move into a decidedly more comfortable position. Eponine is so exhausted and her breathing is so deep such that Enjolras wonders if she will fall asleep before he does, despite the fact that his own lassitude is catching up to him. "I love you Eponine," he murmurs against her cheek as he brushes her hair out of her face.

Eponine opens her eyes and the smile that graces her face is one of pure joy before she answers him with a soft kiss. "I think I like this way of apologies," she quips against his lips.

"It will do," Enjolras concurs before moving carefully to lie next to her. He slips an arm around her waist while she nestles her head under his chin before pulling the blankets up around them. As he watches her fall asleep in his arms, he is now all the more certain that when it comes to her, he does not need words to get the point across.


End file.
